JUDGEMENT;

Raven:

      Her presence is ghostly and light, almost like a phantom gliding through the manor, and yet Oswald felt her nearing, so there was no surprise when he heard her voice. What did surprise him was someone checking on him when you’d think such behavior was predictable and even expected of him. Perhaps the absence of his mind was too stark this time around to be left unnoticed, but the case still stands.

                     ’ It’s you . . . Raven . ' he doesn’t turn to face the Chain yet, spearing a shallow greeting, still sinking in his thoughts,

                     ’ Why would you ask such a thing ? ‘ the Baskerville doesn’t lie — there is simply no point in it, he was never good at lying anyway, so he’ll be caught within a minute. So Oswald tries to dodge the question, at least for now, while he can.

    she expected as much. truth be told, Raven knew her question wouldn’t be answered completely, yet she still felt the need to ask. partly for concern for her contractor and partly because there was a small bit of curiosity as to what had him so...withdrawn? perhaps not the right word, but it was in the general area. his inquiry is met with a bout of silence, gaze moving from the man to nothing in particular.

          “ Levi noticed you haven’t been entirely there, and so he asked me to check up on you.” in his own unique way, of course.

     Brows knit together when she glares at him, shooting back a mild glare of his own when the book is brought farther away and out of his reach. Lips part in an attempt to speak up and stop her from taking the cookbook – only to then have his hand immediately retract itself at the threat, holding his hands up in surrender.  She can have it, then –  but just … Ah.

   Shoulders slump, watching the book sail through the air to land on the chair standing nearby. Defeated, Gilbert slowly brings his gaze from the book to the Chain, forced to try and recall his last meal.  She was right – as usual. “  I didn’t feel thirsty.  ”  a pathetic excuse, he knew it.  But now that he was relieved from his cooking duties for now, he just might end up doing just that – for his sake and Raven’s considering the fact he’s probably made her more concerned than anything.  “  I was… going to take a break after I finished everything. ”  Well, the baking process, at least. He was going to break between that and decorating. Still, that wasn’t good enough.

    an eyebrow raised, expression skeptical. did he really believe that she was going to buy that? how many times has she hear that before? too many to count. it could be the truth, but Raven has no need to risk it. his health was a priority, and while he often looked after it just as well on his own, some push was needed. and when the others weren’t around, that is when Raven came in. “ Gilbert, a few minutes break isn’t what I meant nor what you need right now. Hours have passed since you started. It’s almost dusk outside.”

    there was smothered concern from the Chain. for the past few days, Oswald had been strangely quiet and withdrawn. usually he isn’t much of a social butterfly, but this was more than normal. so much so that Levi had noticed, enough to ‘ask’ Raven to see just what was troubling the young man. that she could do, but she was uncertain if he would tell her. regardless, she complies, searching through the manor for the raven-haired man. it wasn’t long until she found him, resting against one of the stone outcroppings, facing away from her.

Allie vc: raven needs a scar and a crown .

Tagging: UH whoever sees this???

if in active combat in her human form, it's a bit more complicated. emotions are still pushed to the side, but not actively shut off. they're still there. her fighting style is also vastly different. given the freedom to move, she attacks swiftly and with brute force. her style is an amalgamation of those that she's witnessed over the years, thrown together and weaved to fit Raven perfectly. (although she tends to mirror Oswald's style the most) she opts to use a sword as well, but isn't adverse to other weapons if need be. she's quick and does not hold anything back unless instructed or she herself feels she needs to. her strength is inhumane and often toned back to not completely obliterate her opponent. she also still has access to her powers in this form and uses them as well, mainly using her feathers as projectiles (able to light them on fire too), blue fire and illusions.

    Brows knit themselves together in concentration, even more so when she speaks up.  He was deadset on advancing his skills and pushing his boundaries.  When has taking up a challenge in terms of baking gone awry for him?  It was one of the things he was good at – to the point he actually felt confident doing – except now, it would seem.  He was burning himself out looking at the ingredients enlisted followed by the instructions on what to do with them.  “  I will, I …  ?!  ”

   “  Oi …  !  ”  it was a good thing she closed the book when she did, otherwise he would’ve likely just kept on.  He had to get this cake done in a timely manner, though, not to mention he would’ve liked to do it and have it out of the way so that he wasn’t troubled any more by thewhat-ifs of not completing the cake.  Shoulders slump for a second, visage contorts in dismay as he glances at Raven before making a move to take the book back.

                                                                   “  I’m fine, I just need to finish this.  ”

        lips purse, eyebrows furrowing as a gentle glare is given towards him. he was stubborn, especially when it came to baking. there were many times she caught him pouring over a recipe. but he needed to realize he’s human and they need to take a break. she moves the hand with the book out of his reach, her other hand coming to rest on her hip.

   “ Don’t. I will burn this book and you know it.”

   “Ah-- let me.”

 before he can protest, the chain moves to reach up, grabbing the tin of snacks the other was trying to (and failing) to reach. why the Hatter decided to place it so high up was beyond her-- it’s not like the old fool couldn’t just buy some more treats that he can hoard later on.once her fingers grasped the tin, she turned, stretching it out towards Oz with a loose enough grip so he could freely take it. 

   Raven, when in her human form stands at impressive 5′8″, (5'9″ - 5′10″ in heels) much taller than the average female. Her body build is similar to that of Lottie’s, albeit with longer legs and a not quite as defined waist, but still noticeable. Her hair is a pure, midnight black color which tapers off into dark blue towards the ends, almost unnoticeable unless one actually looks or light is reflecting off the strands. the length is long, reaching down to her knees with un even ends that fray out (similar to that of her feathers). just like Gilbert, she has a messy fringe although it is unevenly parted, favoring the left side of her face. 

eyelids flutter open, exposing pale blue irises to the dim lighting of the room. moonlight shine through the partially drawn curtains, casting the occupied bed in soft light and pale shadows. a gentle breeze flutters in, drawing with it the scent of the summer rain that had fallen earlier. a deep breath is taken, exhaling softly into the silence. her gaze moves from the late night scenery of the outside to the form in the bed, peacefully dreaming and unaware to the world around him. some of the tension in the chain's body lessened, shoulders falling as she stood up from the chair where most if her evening (and the day prior) had been spent in silent watch.

thankfully, it was not a serious matter-- Gilbert had only overexerted himself while helping to defend innocents from a few powerful rogue chains that had managed to escape the Abyss to cause havoc during what was supposed to be a regular trip to the market.

>he was unharmed, simply tired. since returning, Raven has hardly left his side. her time was spent ensuring he rested uninterrupted, occasionally updating those he cared for of his condition. she rarely got tired, but the battles and her constant watch had her resting but for an hour at the most.

sleep still clung to her loosely as she moved, footsteps silent as Raven drew open the curtains a tad more, observing the outside in silence and hoping the cool air would help awaken her. until she heard the rustling of fabric and a whispering voice. she turned to find Gilbert had partially awoken, confusion evident on his features but still not entirely aware yet. it takes but a few seconds to return to his side, the moonlight casting her in a soft glow. a hand reaches out, fingers brushing aside his messy fringe before coming to rest atop his head as a soft weight.

" Rest. It is late and your questions will be answered in the morning. You did well, Gilbert. "

  " You've been at this for hours. "

  he can try to deny it all he likes, but she knows. she always knows when he's pushing himself past his limit or overworking. usually , gentle reminder is given to step back and breathe. but since she's decided once more to make use of this humanoid form, a face to face reminder would be better. hence why fingers move to close the book of recipes he's been pouring over to find the perfect one. for what, shes not sure. regardless, any longer and he's bound to go cross-eyed.